Lecture 18

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

LECTURE 18

SOFTWARE PIRACY The biggest legal problem affecting the computer industry is software piracy. Which is the illegal copying or use of programs. Piracy is a huge problem because it is so easy to do. In most cases, it is no more difficult to steal a program than it is to tape a music CD that you have borrowed from a friend. Software pirates give up the right to receive upgrades and technical support, but they gain the use of the program without paying for it. Many commercial software programs-software you must purchase before using-cost as little as $20 to $ 50, but most applications cost between $100 and $500. Highly specialized or complex applications can cost several thousand dollars. Even shareware-software you can use for free on a trial basis and then register and pay for if you decide to use it-suffers from a high piracy rate. Each year, thousands of computer users install shareware programs and use them with no intention of registering or paying for them. Piracy is not a significant problem for publishers of freeware. Freeware is software that is available free of charge and that can be copied and distributed by anyone. Freeware publishers also restrict other persons from charging a fee for distribution a freeware program, or including the program in a package being sold commercially for profit. Many useful freeware programs are available, and many can be downloaded from special Internet sites, which serve as clearinghouses for shareware and freeware products.

Copyright Laws Regarding Software The principal law governing software piracy is still the Copyright Act of 1976. In 1983, a Software Piracy and Counterfeiting Amendment were added. The justification for these laws is that software is an intellectual property, usually created for the purpose of making money. Commercial software firms range in size from a single, self-employed programmer to huge corporations like IBM and Microsoft. Creating a complex program is an expensive process that can take highly trained programmers thousands of hours.

Protections from piracy In the past, software companies manufactured their programs with safeguards that prevented illegal copying but made installation and backup difficult. For example, program disks ware set up such that they could be copied to the purchaser’s hard disk only a few times. Most companies found that this kind of copy protection caused more problems than it solved. A similar scheme is to print a code or serial number on the packaging In which the CD-ROM is sold. Anyone who does not have the original packaging, or who has not received the code or serial number from the original owner, cannot install the software. On the other hand, you cannot easily copy a CD-ROM and give it to a friend (unless you want to invest ion a CD-R system), so piracy of CD-ROM-based software is less of a problem. 1

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

LECTURE 18

Some software publishers allow the purchaser to install the program without a password but require the purchaser to contact the publisher and obtain a password within a given time period. For example, some programs can be installed without a password but can be used only a limited number of times before they become inoperable and must be reinstalled. To avoid this, the user must contact the publisher, demonstrate proof of purchase, and obtain a password for the software.

COMPUTER VIRUSES A virus, as you may recall, is a parasitic program buried within another legitimate program or stored in a special area of a disk called the boot sector. Executing the legitimate program or accessing the disk activates the virus without the user’s knowledge. Viruses can be programmed to carry out the following tasks, as well as many others:  Copy themselves to other programs  Display information on the screen  Destroy data files  Erase an entire hard disk  Lie dormant for a specified time or until a given condition is met and then become active

The Birth of Viruses As far back as the 1950s, computer scientists first discussed the possibility of software capable of replicating among computers. But, an actual software virus was not created until 1983, when a student at the University of California, Fred Cohen, wrote a doctoral dissertation on the subject. Unlike the viruses that cause colds and diseases in humans, computer viruses do not occur naturally each one must be programmed. There are no beneficial viruses. Sometimes, they are written as a prank, perhaps to needle people by displaying a humorous message. In such cases, the virus is little more than a nuisance.

Preventing Infection Anti viruses can be eradicated at their source-that is, until there comes a day when they are no longer written-users will need to protect their computers from viruses. Fortunately, safeguarding a system against viruses is not difficult, given a little knowledge and some handy utility software. The first thing you need to know is when your system is in danger of infection. There are two common ways to pick up a virus: 1. Receiving a disk (a diskette, a CD created by someone with a CD-R system, a removable hard disk, and so on) form another user. In this case, the virus

2

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

LECTURE 18

could be in the boot sector of the disk or in an executable file (a program) on the disk. 2. Downloading an executable file from another user, an online service, or the Internet. Checking for viruses requires Antivirus software, which scans disks and programs for known viruses and eradicates them. Most Antivirus programs are easy to use. After it is installed on your system and activated, a good Antivirus program checks for infected files automatically every time you insert any kind of disk or use your modem to retrieve a file. A few Antivirus programs can even scan files as you download them from the Internet and can instantly alert you when you download an infected file. Several excellent Antivirus programs are available, and some are even free. Some common Antivirus programs are:  McAfee Virus Scan  IBM Antivirus  Dr. Solomon’s Anti-Virus  Symantec Antivirus for the Macintosh  Norton Antivirus  Virex  Disinfectant 

Hardware Theft Although hardware theft has been going on for years, the problem was not particularly serious before PCs came along it is a little difficult to make off with a mainframe. However, the introduction of the microcomputer in the 1970s made valuable equipment much easier to move. The problem has skyrocketed with the popularity of small portable computers. When powerful microcomputers worth several thousand dollars can be folded down to the size of a pad of paper and then slipped into a briefcase, it is not surprising that they occasionally disappear.

Data Theft In businesses and government, the theft of data can be far more serious than the theft of hardware, which can be replaced fairly easily. Data theft can occur in four ways: 1. A person with access to the computer where the data is stored can copy the data to a diskette or to some other storage device. 2. Someone can steal the storage device or media on which the data is stored 3. Someone can steal the whole system the computer and its built in hard disk. 4. Someone can use a modem to enter an organization’s computer system, gain access to sensitive files, and download them

3

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

LECTURE 18

Hackers Hackers are experts in computer technology who take great pleasure in solving software problems, frequently by circumventing the established rules. Often, these experts are tempted by the power of their skills and become criminals. They can steal money or crash computer systems intentionally. There is no easy solution to the problem posed by computer crime. Data security is becoming more and more sophisticated, but so are criminals. To illustrate that point to the experts, a Dutch engineer first explained that computers emit TV-like signals that can be reconstructed with standard equipment and displayed. Then, to demonstrate his point, he set up his equipment in a basement and read the data from a PC located on the eighth floor of a neighboring office building.

Protecting Networks Most companies and government agencies use security measures to limit access to their computer system. One common method is to provide user identification codes and passwords to authorized employees. Before an employee can log on, or access a computer’s files, the employee must enter a user identification code that identifies that person to the system. Usually, employees also need to enter a password, a word or symbol, usually chosen by the user, which verifies the user’s identity. If a user’s identification code or password does not match the records in the computer’s security software, the user is locked out of the system. Passwords and user ID codes often are used to establish access privileges for employees. These can vary be employee. For example, a network manager could set up access so that top-level employees have access to all directories on the network while other employees have access only to certain data.

4